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Viruses Would Rather Jump to New Hosts Than Evolve With Them
The discovery that viruses move between species unexpectedly often is rewriting ideas about their evolutionary history — and may have troubling implications for the threat from emerging diseases.
Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate
With electrical signals, simple cells organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies.
Seeing Emergent Physics Behind Evolution
Nigel Goldenfeld applies the physics of condensed matter to understand how evolution sprinted for the earliest life — and then slowed down.
The Oldest Mini-Brains Have Lifelike Young Cells
"Organoid" brain tissue models grown in a lab for two years can help scientists study a critical period of development just before and after birth.
Interspecies Hybrids Play a Vital Role in Evolution
Hybrids, once treated as biological misfits, play a vital role in the evolution of many animal species. Now conservationists are trying to reconcile that truth with policies.
Beating the Odds for Lucky Mutations
If DNA repair makes useful mutations more likely, it could accelerate cells’ adaptations to harsh environments.
Mini-Brains Go Modular
To create a good living replica of the human brain, your best hope may be to let “organoid” components assemble it for you.
Shrinking Bat DNA and Elastic Genomes
Species gain and shed startling amounts of DNA as they evolve, and even genomes that look stable churn furiously. What does it mean?
First Support for a Physics Theory of Life
Take chemistry, add energy, get life. The first tests of Jeremy England’s provocative origin-of-life hypothesis are in, and they appear to show how order can arise from nothing.